In 1965, Nottinghamshire Constabulary had an establishment of 1,026 officers and an actual strength of 798.[6]

Proposals made by the Home Secretary in March 2006 would have seen the force merge with the other four East Midlands forces to form a strategic police force for the entire region.[7] However, in July 2006 the proposed merger was cancelled.[8][9]

In 2009, a performance assessment carried out by the government ranked the force's operational area as the third worst in the country.[11]

In March 2010, the HMIC rated the force as 'poor' in three reviewed areas of, 'Local Policing', 'Confidence' and 'Protecting from Harm'. Nottinghamshire Police were the only force in England & Wales to receive such a rating. Although the HMIC did not attempt to place the 43 police forces in England & Wales in a directly comparable league table (due to difficulties in comparing a large city force with a small rural force), Nottinghamshire Police did give the HMIC cause for concern. The media portrayed the analysis as showing the force as the 'worst in England & Wales'.[12]